text:
peacock king
Legg rules the barnyard of peafowl hobbyists with new colors and
Bob McEowen
peacock king
Legg rules the barnyard of peafowl hobbyists with new colors and
Bob McEowen
peacock king
Legg rules the barnyard of peafowl hobbyists with new colors and
Bob McEowen
Bob McEowen
On the northern edge
of Kansas City, with a sprawling housing development just over the
next hill, Brad Legg's farm is an unexpected sight
amid a suburban sea of cookie-cutter houses.
A visitor arriving
at Legg's
Peafowl Farm might spy an India Blue peacock perched on a sign in the
front yard. The India Blue's brilliant indigo
chest, neck and head and feathers of green and gold perfectly match the image
most people have of peacocks, a sacred bird in some Eastern religions but more
commonly kept as yard decoration here in America.
If this farm is a
surprise find at the edge of suburbia, what lies beyond in Brad's
orderly array of pens, cages and barns challenges expectations even
more. Here the traditional blue peacock of India and three varieties
of green peafowl from Southeast Asia are just the beginning.
have 95 varieties on this farm," says Brad. The Platte-Clay
Electric Cooperative member is widely regarded as one of the top
peafowl breeders in the United States and probably the entire world.
is probably the foremost geneticist that we have, bar none," says
Gwen Hibler, president of the United Peafowl Association, an organization
that promotes peafowl and educates hobbyists in America. "He
has done more, as far as developing new varieties, than anyone
Peafowl — male
peacocks and female peahens — are
related to pheasants. In the United States, peafowl have long
been favored as barnyard animals because of their brilliant colors.
The males are especially beautiful during the spring mating season
when they splay long tail feathers, or trains, to attract females.
While most people
are satisfied to have one or two peacocks prancing about their yard,
Brad is consumed with the task of breeding and crossbreeding peafowl
in the pursuit of new color and pattern combinations in the regal birds.
I've always liked doing is making something that nobody has
ever seen before," says Brad, who enlists his four children
and wife, Patsy, an employee of Platte-Clay Electric, in his efforts. "We
enjoy taking these new colors that crop up in one variety and making
them into the other patterns."
On Brad's farm,
peafowl come in blue, white, peach, opal, purple, charcoal, midnight,
bronze, cameo and jade. Besides the color variations, there are pattern
differences as well. Some birds have barred wings while others
are "black
shouldered" — a solid pattern that can appear in
a number of colors other than black. Some of the birds are "pied," or
spotted. Others are "white-eyed," a reference to
the eye-like formations on the male's
tale feathers. If that's not enough, many of these distinctions
are repeated in a hybrid breed called Spalding.
Growing up on
a farm in northeast Missouri, Brad took an interest in all
manner of farm animals. He showed cattle, horses, sheep, rabbits and
chicken in 4-H and FFA. Inspired by a neighbor who kept a peacock
in his yard, a 10-year-old Brad bought peafowl eggs for a dollar apiece
and raised the chicks. By the time he was 18, he owned five common
varieties of peafowl.
In 1980, when Brad
was 20 years old, he bought his first exotic peafowl. He paid $1,000
for 10 one-week-old chicks in a creamy brown color mutation called
"I can still
remember my mother and dad having a fit," says
Brad, who had just left home and taken a job managing cattle at the
time. "It
was more than I had ever spent on something like that.
But I wanted peafowl, and I wanted the newest thing.
"I was
driven with the birds," he says.
The purchase proved
to be a sound investment as Brad easily recouped his money selling
chicks. It was no surprise when he later paid what was then an exorbitant
sum for a new mutant bird.
Brad says new colors
inexplicably appear in peafowl at a rate approaching one in a million.
At least three times in his life Brad has been at the right place at
the right time to take advantage of these mutations. The first came
in 1992, when he got wind of an unusual-looking male chick offered
for sale at an animal auction in Kansas. Unable to attend, he sent
a friend with strict instructions.
"I told him, 'Buy
the bird, I don't care what it brings. Don't
come home without it. If you don't have the
bird, don't ever come
back,'" Brad recalls. "Back then
a high-dollar chick might bring $40 or $50. That
was a lot. This chick ended up bringing $210, and
he brought it home."
Brad had discovered
a new mutant pattern, a "silver-pied" variation
of the India Blue, a white bird with splotches
of contrasting colors. Fortunately, the seller
also had a hen with the same markings and Brad
bought her as well. Through careful breeding,
he was able to recreate the pattern and establish
a new variety of peafowl.
Brad thought fellow
enthusiasts might like to see the new birds, so he sent photos to
The Peacock Journal, a now-defunct publication that once
was the lifeline for the peafowl hobby. As soon
as the magazine was published with Brad's
birds on the front and back cover, his phone
started ringing.
"I never got
off the phone until clear into the night," Brad says. "We
had people from 26 states call in a 48-hour
period, either wanting babies or wanting to buy those birds."
instant notoriety established Brad's position in the peafowl
world, and his celebrity status among breeders led to the discovery
and development of two other mutant colors: midnight and jade.
this time Brad's employer was preparing to retire and sell
his cattle. Brad quit his day job and went to work nights at
a Kansas City film-processing lab. This new arrangement freed
his days so he could concentrate on the birds.
With nothing more
than a high school vo-ag education, a farm background and his
own research, Brad began exploring the genetic possibilities
of peafowl breeding with a passion.
Some peafowl traits
are carried by recessive genes and pass easily from one generation
to another. Others are sex-linked, appearing only in females, and are
much more difficult to reproduce. Peafowl begin breeding at two years
old and sometimes it takes several generations for a particular trait
to reappear.
Because of the complexity
of the genetics, Brad must work with a lot of birds to produce his
desired results. In 2005 he hatched more than 1,000 peafowl chicks.
many of these babies display exotic hues and markings, most of them
are common varieties. Brad sells these birds from his farm, through
the mail and at auctions. While an exotic chick can bring $1,000
or more, India Blues are quite affordable. Chicks sell for as little
as $15, while a grown male with a mature train might bring $150.
now works fulltime on the farm. He also devotes time to sharing his
knowledge and experience. His Web site includes information about
building pens, incubating eggs and raising chicks. It also features
the most complete photo gallery of peafowl on the Internet.
Each year,
Legg's Peafowl Farm hosts two open houses and invites hobbyists
and breeders to tour the
facility. In 2001 the farm hosted the United Peafowl Association's
annual convention. This October, the convention will return to Brad's
"He is an absolute
wonder as far as disseminating information," says
UPA President Hibler, who
raises peafowl in Montezuma, Kans. "Whenever
I run into any kind of
question, he's the one I call."
Ironically, many
peacock fanciers have only a passing
interest in the new varieties
that consume Brad's attention. Of the 350 members of the United Peafowl
Association, Hibler says
less than 50 are serious breeders or own more than a few dozen varieties.
Most own just a few birds — usually common peafowl
such as the India Blue.
for all his attention to exotic
peafowl, Brad is quick
to recognize the appeal
of the traditional colors
and patterns. "There isn't anybody
who could take a look
at that bird and tell you he's not beautiful," he
says as a free-ranging
India Blue struts through his yard with his train spread wide.
takes the continued preference for time-honored
varieties in stride. He says
he realizes that not everyone
shares his love for genetics. Most
peafowl fanciers, he says, just want
something in the yard that's pretty to look
"Most all
the people in the
peafowl industry
are just hobbyists," he
says. "This
was a hobby, too.
It's just gotten
out of hand."
Peafowl Farm is open only by appointment. For more information, log
onto www.leggspeafowl.com or call (816) 781-4498.


text:
President Barack Obama – again – vowed Tuesday to follow through with a 2008 campaign pledge to close the military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
President Barack Obama explains why he thinks America's detention facility at Guantanamo Bay needs to be shut down.
Amid a hunger strike being waged by terror suspects at the prison to protest their detainment and living conditions, Obama reiterated his belief that the prison should be shuttered.
"I continue to believe that we've got to close Guantanamo," Obama said at the White House. "I think it is critical for us to understand that Guantanamo is not necessary to keep America safe. It is expensive. It is inefficient. It hurts us, in terms of our international standing. It lessens cooperation with our allies on counter-terrorism efforts. It is a recruitment tool for extremists. It needs to be closed."
The president's sentiment is familiar to anyone who's followed his statements on foreign policy for the last eight years. He campaigned for the Democratic nomination in part on closing the prison. He signed an order seeking to close the facility shortly after being inaugurated for his first term in office. Obama also repeatedly voiced support for closing the prison during his time in office. He has also supported trying most terror suspects in U.S. civilian court.
The issue reared itself again less than two months ago, when the government brought the son of Osama bin Laden to New York City to stand trial on terror charges.
But, as the president noted Tuesday, lawmakers – mostly Republicans – have worked to block any effort to close Guantanamo. And the president said Tuesday he would redouble his efforts to achieve this goal.
"I'm going to, as I said before, examine every option that we have administratively to try to deal with this issue, but ultimately we're also going to need some help from Congress," he said.
Related Stories:
- Obama cautions against rush to action in Syria
- Obama reiterates chemical weapons would be 'game-changer'
This story was originally published on Tue Apr 30, 2013 1:04 PM EDT

subset: commoncrawl


text:
DGAP-DD: Symrise AG english
Notification concerning transactions by persons performing managerial responsibilities pursuant to section 15a of the WpHG Directors' Dealings notification transmitted by DGAP – a service of EQS Group AG. The person with duty of notification is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Details of the person subject to the disclosure requirement Last name: Bertram First name: Dr. Heinz-Jürgen Company: Symrise AG Position: Member of a managing body Information about the transaction with duty of notification Description of the financial instrument: Symrise Share ISIN/WKN of the financial instrument: DE000SYM9999 Type of transaction: Purchase Date: 04.09.2015 Price: 52.9204 Currency: EUR No. of items: 560 Total amount traded: 29635.42 Place: Xetra Information about the company with duty of publication Issuer: Symrise AG Mühlenfeldstraße 1 37603 Holzminden Germany ISIN: DE000SYM9999 WKN: SYM999 End of Directors' Dealings Notification (c) DGAP 04.09.2015 DGAP Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. Media archive at www.dgap-medientreff.de and www.dgap.de ID 22925


text:
All of this is networked via RS-232
"Wire," the library responsible for I2C communication
QuoteAll of this is networked via RS-232 Quote"Wire," the library responsible for I2C communication How do these two work together?_____Rob
This is just to report my progress with getting a master Arduino to send query information to a slave Arduino, which then synchronously returns the specified data.
... this means that the onReceive handler has to take the data passed to it, process it however it needs to be processed, and put the results into global variables that can then be queried in the onRequest handler ...
Can you explain exactly what you mean by "synchronously" in this context? Do you mean, you ask a question and get an answer?
What is the problem with global variables? The response is done in an interrupt handle
I have done some examples of sending/receiving data via I2C here (scroll down to "Request/response"):http://www.gammon.com.au/forum/?id=10896
You shouldn't need to send things three times. Why do that?
I've been able to find no examples online of anyone sending requests from a master for the return of specific data from a slave.
i did it because i'd often get zero instead of the byte i'd requested. i have no idea why -- it was being flaky. i need to investigate further. the other i2c devices on the bus all seem to work fine; it's just the slave that occasionally throws out glitch zeroes in response to queries.


text:
Ky. lawmakers look to limit drone surveillance
CINCINNATI -- Privacy concerns over unmanned aircraft known as drones have united political groups that don't often see eye-to-eye.
Northern Kentucky Republican state Rep. Diane St. Onge has re-introduced a bill she filed for the previous General Assembly session that would prohibit law enforcement agencies from using drones to gather evidence without a warrant. The St. Onge has received support from the American Civil Liberties Union and Democrat Rep. Brent Yonts, who co-sponsored her bill last session.
"You have groups working together who you would not expect to agree on something," St. Onge said.
St. Onge pre-filed the bill for the 2015 session that begins in January. Like last year, she filed the bill early and hopes to get a hearing sometime in the summer or fall for lawmakers to learn more about it.
While the U.S. Constitution prevents warrantless surveillance, state lawmakers should get out ahead of the issue to protect privacy, said Kate Miller, program director for the ACLU in Kentucky. The court system has yet to set a clear precedent on drones for surveillance, she said. If states don't want to leave it up to the whim of a judge, they should act now, she said.
"Totally within the authority of state-level legislators to put additional privacy protections in place to look out for the constitutional rights of people," Miller said. "We don't have to wait for the courts to rule on this. If you use a drone, first you've got to get a warrant."
The bill allows businesses and colleges to use drones for research and business purposes. It also allows police and first responders to use drones for search and rescue and other purposes that don't involve collecting evidence.
So far, 14 states have passed laws limiting the use of drones, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Many others established task forces to study the issue.
In all, 43 states in 2013 and 35 states in 2014 considered bills related to drone use.


text:
60-Seconds #337 : I wonder if Jimmy Buffett ever tried to get Margaritaville on Sirius Radio!
Jimmy Buffet once sang ... "Now you may be thinking that I was had..." but I was the one who had been had! Who is to blame? I know it wasn't Jimmy Buffett's fault! July 26, 2017


text:
A new Web service lets people report tax avoiders anonymously and online.
We spend a lot of time at Nextgov looking at ways entrepreneurs can build businesses using open government data.
Last month, the team at This American Life put together a great story about how one entrepreneur found a niche compensating for government failures on the data collection end rather than data use.
The story follows Al Drucker, a former IRS investigator who noticed his agency didn't make it very easy for people to rat out tax cheats. There's a form (3949-A), which must be submitted by mail. There's also a tax fraud hotline, but that only points callers to a URL for the tax form or instructs them on how to order a paper version of form 3949-A if they can't access and print it online.
After retiring, Drucker launched a Web service called Taxsqueal.com. Drucker's site asks visitors for essentially the same information as the IRS form but they can fill it out online and submit it anonymously. Then Drucker transfers the information to 3949-A and mails it in himself. (A lot of his business comes from exes, he told producers Alex Blumberg and Chana Joffe-Walt -- ex-spouses, ex-employees, ex-friends, the works).
For a $3 fee, Drucker will also send the subject of the report a postcard letting him or her know about the "squeal," a service Joffe-Walt described as "like a little extra 'screw you.'"
This raises the question, of course, why the government didn't launch Tax Squeal on its own. If the IRS is eager to collect unpaid taxes, it would seem reasonable for the agency to at least allow people to report tax fraud online.
This could be a case of the private market stepping in to correct for a government failure. A 2013 auditors' report on government efforts to reduce tax fraud and evasion, for example, doesn't even mention voluntary reporting.
However, it's also possible that the actual market for tax squealing isn't large enough to warrant much increased effort. According to This American Life's report, Drucker's business hasn't fared very well so far. The accountants and tax attorneys he expected to support the site through advertising haven't come through and not many people are shelling out for the $3 "you've been squealed on" postcards.
"Most people…don't want to squeal" Blumberg concludes. "Sure there are a lot of ex-employees and ex-spouses out there eager to squeal. Just not enough to support a business."
The full story is available here.
(Image via PTstock/Shutterstock.com)


text:
Becky Yerak
Chicago Tribune
November 27, 2012
Discover Financial Services Inc. employees will be able to pay by finger at their Riverwoods headquarters' cafeteria and convenience stores as they become the first to test a new payment system.
Discover, which is working with French biometrics firm Natural Security on the project and which plans to get the pilot underway in the next three months, has previously used hundreds of its employees to test new technologies including various "contactless" payments, in which credit cards are simply tap. It plans to test the fingerprint payment system with 300 to 350 employees.
Discover employees who want to participate will register at an on-site kiosk, which will read an index fingerprint and assign a number to it. Each employee will also receive a key fob with a chip that includes information about their individual credit-card account as well as their fingerprint.
[…] The credit-card company's test comes a few years after U.S. grocer Jewel abandoned its program with Pay by Touch, which got about $300 million in debt and equity financing from investors.
The Emergency Election Sale is now live! Get 30% to 60% off our most popular products today!


text:
My family has deep roots in Downeast Maine. My ancestors migrated to Washington County, Maine in the late 1700s. My father, his parents, and grandparents all grew up and lived in and around the town of Jonesport, Maine. I spent many summers in Jonesport as a child. I have a lot of fond memories of Jonesport. I created this blog to share my family research with others that may find it useful also. I also hope to meet some of my distant downeast relatives through this blog.
A little more about me:
Both of my father's parents and my mother's father were in the service during WWII. This is probably why I joined the Air Force after high school. I was in the Air Force for 8 years. I am a veteran of Desert Storm. I am a proud American.
I have been married for nearly 20 years. I am fortunate to have four kids that also appreciate going downeast to visit family and explore Jonesport.
I make a living as a technologist in New York City during the week, but I live in Maine.
Hobbies: History, Genealogy, Working on old photos in Photoshop, Drinking American Craft Beer, playing with my kids.


text:
Additional Gear
Off-roading puts a strain on your ATV, so it's important to perform the scheduled maintenance recommended in your owner's manual. You can avoid a breakdown and possible injury.
Tools and Supplies Checklist
Along with a tool kit and your owner's manual, carry these other emergency items:
- Headlight and taillight bulbs
- Electrical and duct tape
- Flashlight
- Knife
- First-aid kit
- 25 feet of nylon rope
- Extra spark plugs—worn plugs are the number one cause of engine stalling
- Sturdy tow rope or chain
- Cell phone
- Extra key
- Sunblock


text:
Diet Coke "the gardener" by BETC London
AgencyBETC London
SectorAgencies, Food and Drink and Soft drinks
Diet Coke has reintroduced its Coke hunk in a spot that features the Etta James track I Just Want To Make Love To You, as used in the brand's "hunk" ad in 1996. The spot, which was directed by Rocky Morton through MJZ, is the first work created by BETC London since picking up the business last year. It shows a group of women in a park who spot a "hunk" mowing. One of them rolls a can of Diet Coke towards him to tempt him to remove his T-shirt. The ad was released this week to coincide with the brand's 30th anniversary. It was written by Clive Pickering and art directed by Neil Dawson.


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Assessment of Back Pain
Quantifying the degree and precise site of pain in animals always has been difficult. This is complicated further because the major clinical sign in many horses with a back problem is impaired performance rather than pain. On the other hand, many horses appear to perform satisfactorily despite some low-grade back pain. To add to this confusion, some horses are naturally sensitive and resent being palpated along the back, which might be wrongly interpreted as a sign of pain.
Cold Back
This term describes hypersensitivity over the back with a transient stiffness and dipping of the spine as the rider mounts. There usually are no other clinical signs, although in severe cases, the horse might buck or rear at first. This initial stiffness wears off within a few minutes and causes no effect on performance. Whether this condition actually is associated with back pain or merely a matter of temperament is not clear.
Many of the difficulties in diagnosing back problems would be solved if some meaningful criteria could be established for assessing and quantifying back pain. The back has a system of nerve endings that are particularly sensitive to tissue dysfunction. They are referred to as "nociceptive receptors" and are represented in the back by arrangements of unmyelinated nerve fibres. In normal circumstances, this receptor system is relatively inactive, but it is stimulated by mechanical or other damaging forces applied to the tissues containing the nerve endings. Primary back pain results, therefore, from trauma or irritation of these nerve endings.
Other important factors when diagnosing back problems in the horse include the wide variation in pain threshold levels and inidividual temperaments.
A thorough knowledge of the functional anatomy of the spine is vital. It is important to remember that the horse keeps its back almost rigid, acting as a bridge between the fore and hind quarters. It then transmits power or impulsion from the hind quarters to increase stride length and performance. The equine spine can be likened to a "string and bow" arrangement, where the "bow" is the rigid vertebral column and the "string" incorporates the muscles and ligaments supporting the spine.
Specific spinal malformations tend to predispose to injury through the inherent weakness of the back or "bow." These conditions place extra strain on the "string," which can lead to recurrent soft tissue injuries. Most horses do not have this type of gross deformity, but conformational defects are common. Horses which are short-backed with restricted flexibility of the spine tend to exhibit more vertebral lesions than longer backed animals, which are more prone to muscular or ligamentous strain.
There also seems to be an association between type of back injury and purpose for which the horse is used. Acute sacroiliac strain is more prevalent in horses jumping at speed, whereas overriding of the dorsal spinous processes ("kissing spines") is most common in show jumpers.
It should be possible to facilitate diagnosis of spinal disorders by carrying out a thorough clinical examination and utilizing modern diagnostic aids.
Another important consideration is the seat of the injury itself. Bone damage tends to be centered around the mid-point of the back, whereas soft tissue injuries are more common in the proximal and distal parts of the thoracolumbar spine.
Importance of Clinical History
The value of obtaining a thorough clinical history cannot be underestimated. Details concerning information on management, tack, and performance are essential. There seems to be a correlation between nervous or temperamental animals and the incidence of back trouble. A consistent feature of long-standing back problems is some alteration in behavior or temperament. This might be gradual in onset, and it could be some time before the change can be fully appreciated.
It is common for owners to blame poor competitive ability on a back condition when it is simply due to problems of schooling or riding. The most consistent feature of back problems is loss of performance, particularly in the ability to jump. Horses with severe back pain might have difficulty in straddling to urinate or defecate, or there might be a reluctance to lie down in the box or roll. There also might be some resentment to putting on a rug or blanket, grooming over the loins and quarters, or having the hind limbs picked up.
Some cases show resentment to weight-bearing, with a tendency to collapse behind when ridden. Saddling up might become a problem, particularly when the girth is tightened. Reluctance to move backward also might be noted.
Signs at exercise could include hind limb lameness, a loss of enthusiasm for work, an inability to stride out at fast paces, some stiffness in hindlimb action, and a loss of suppleness of the back when ridden, although the action when loose in the paddock appears satisfactory. There might be a disinclination to jump or the horse might lose fluidity and timing during jumping and become tense, tending to rush over fences. Head-shaking and an increased tendency to tail swishing are other occasional features of back problems.
Examination at Rest
Clinical signs exhibited by a horse with a back problem are varied, subtle, and inconsistent among individuals. Therefore, a full clinical investigation should incorporate the following:
Visual inspection.
Palpation of the thoracolumbar spine.
Manipulation of the thoracolumbar spine.
Examination at Exercise
In Hand
The animal is walked and trotted in a straight line to detect any obvious gait abnormalities. Many horses with chronic back trouble show restricted hind limb action and a tendency to drag the toes of one or both hind limbs. If there is moderate to severe pain, a wide-straddling hind limb gait usually is seen. However, in horses with a low-grade problem, the action behind will be very close. The horse then is turned tightly in both directions with the intention of making it flex the spine laterally. If back pain is present and there is loss of suppleness, turning often results in rather jerky movements and spasm of the back muscles. On backing, there sometimes is an initial reluctance to move, then the head is raised, the back arched more then usual, and some spasm of the back muscles occurs. Another sign of discomfort is the dragging of the forelimb toes on moving backward.
Lunging Exercise
A session of 10 to 15 minutes lunging provides an opportunity to see any improvement or deterioration in action as the horse warms up. Horses with restricted hindlimb gait often show poor tracking of the hind feet and a tendency to drag the hind toes. Head carriage might be elevated and the animal looks uncomfortable. Poor action usually is best indicated at the trot and some horses with back pain will lunge only at a collected canter. Some difficulty is seen when changing pace, along with an inability to lead on the correct leg. Swishing of the tail is not always indicative of back pain.
Ridden or Driven Exercise
It is useful to see the horse saddled up and to note if there is any pain or resentment to tightening the girth or when mounting.
After the horse has had time to cool down, it should be exercised again to see if there is any change in action. This is particularly useful in horses which are tying-up, as they show increased stiffness of the hock and hindquarters.
Clinical Aids To Diagnosis
Current imaging techniques include the following:
Radiographic examination.
Nuclear imaging (scintigraphy).
Ultrasonographic examination.
Thermographic examination.
Radiographic Examination
Radiography is particularly valuable if adequate facilities are available. Radiographic findings can be difficult to interpret, and many horses exhibit radiographic abnormalities without suffering from a back complaint.
Nuclear Imaging (scintigraphy)
This technique involves intravenous injection of radioactive material and detection of "hot spots" by use of a gamma camera. It is helpful in detecting over-riding spines, vertebrae fractures, osteoarthritis, spondylosis, some sacroiliac problems, and stress fractures. It is particularly valuable in identifying bony lesions at sites not accessible to conventional radiography.
This technique utilizes ultrasound transducers and requires a good knowledge of gross anatomy of the region for satisfactory interpretation. It is possible to detect ultrasonographic changes by surface contact in the supraspinous and dorsal sacroiliac ligaments. Transrectal scanning allows investigation of the lumbosacral intervertebral disc, intertransverse articulations between the lumbar transverse processes, and the ventral aspect of the sacroiliac joint.
Sophisticated thermography equipment can be used to monitor thermal changes in the back region of horses. However, the temperature increase is related only to the skin and might not reflect deeper muscle or bone injury. This technique might have an important role in establishing sites of excessive heat load after strenuous exercise.
Clinical Pathology
Hematological and biochemical profiles always should be obtained to identify or eliminate other causes of poor performance (i.e., anemia or parasitic disease). The determination of the muscle-derived enzyme concentrations, in association with a standard exercise test, can help diagnose cases of tying-up.
Slap Test
For horses which show signs suggestive of mild hind limb incoordination, the possibility of low-grade cervical cord compression should be considered. Cervical radiography is helpful in some cases, but a more practical method for assessing this is by evaluation of the laryngeal adductory reflex or "slap test."
Local Anesthesia
This technique can be used when crowding or overriding of the summits of the dorsal spinous processes ("kissing spines") is suspected. It involves assessment of the animal's performance before and after injection of local anesthetic into the interspinous spaces of the mid-back or distal back.
Non-Steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs)
A useful and simple test in longer standing cases is to administer a short course (two to three days) of NSAIDs. This often will assist with differentiation of soft tissue and bony injuries. If chronic skeletal bone damage exists, then some temporary improvement in clinical signs usually will occur.
Differential Diagnosis
Table 2 provides a list of conditions that might be confused with genuine back injury. It is common for owners to blame poor competitive ability on a back problem when its cause lies elsewhere. Hind limb lameness probably is the most common differential diagnosis, but it should be remembered that both fore and hind limb lameness can result in secondary back soreness and stiffness.
Specific Conditions
Malalignment or Displacement of Lumbar Dorsal Spinous Processes
This condition is reputed to be a common cause of back trouble in horses that results in chronic poor performance. Horses are said to have one or more vertebrae "put out," and it is claimed that they can be "put back" into their correct position by a manipulative technique that involves application of sharp pressure. From an anatomical point of view, this claim is unacceptable because significant movement of individual vertebrae–either naturally or by manual manipulation–does not occur.
It is more likely that this "malalignment" results from some increased tone or spasm caused by local muscle injury. This situation would lead to abnormal stress on the thoracolumbar spine and thus affect performance.
Deformity of the Vertebral Column
Malformations of the thoracolumbar spine are uncommon and, when they do occur, they usually result in secondary rather than primary back problems. In newborn foals, curvature of the spine is sometimes seen in association with other postural deformities (i.e., limb contractures).
The condition of "roach back" is seen most frequently during the period of active growth after weaning, although the underlying cause does not appear to be in the vertebral column. It might be associated with a progressive straightening of the hind limb conformation during a growth spurt or, perhaps, be secondary to a stifle or hock problem.
All these vertebral deformities predispose to some weakness of the thoracolumbar spine leading to poor performance and soft tissue injuries. Diagnosis can be confirmed by radiography revealing abnormal curvature of the vertebral column.
Muscle Strain
Muscle damage is undoubtedly the most common cause of back injury in the horse. This involves mainly the muscles that extend the back and flex the spine. Their primary role is to control the stiffness of the back. Strain or injury of these muscles occurs most frequently because of a slip, fall, or poorly executed jump. It might be caused through fatigue or inadequate fitness. Clinical signs are an acute onset of poor performance often accompanied by a change of temperament; sometimes with local swelling and heat. The back is kept rigid and there is a restriction in the hind limb gait, often with a wider than normal placement of the hind feet. Stiffness of the hind limbs and back is seen but no clear signs of lameness are evident. There is obvious pain on palpation and a marked reduction in flexibility. In the acute stages, some elevation in the plasma levels of the muscle-derived enzymes will be noted after mild exercise.
Classical signs of tying-up are differentiated easily from muscle strain. However, the atypical, low-grade form of this condition is more difficult to diagnose as it can occur after varying amounts of exercise. It is seen more commonly in animals on a high-protein diet and in highly strung fillies or mares in excellent body condition. Diagnosis usually can be confirmed by marked elevation of muscle-derived enzymes after exercise.
Ligamentous Damage
Another fairly common site of injury, particularly in Thoroughbreds, is the supraspinous ligament that runs down the middle of the back. This structure is subject to strain in the same way as muscles. The clinical signs are similar, but tend to persist for longer and the ultimate prognosis is less favorable. There often is visible thickening of the ligament and pain is easily elicited on palpation. Reduced lateral flexion of the thoracolumbar spine is seen in one or both directions. By taking low-exposure radiographs, one can see the soft tissue thickening and some focal radiodensity in the ligament in long-standing cases. On occasion, detached flakes from the vertebrae are seen.
Diagnosis can be assisted by ultrasonographic examination. In general, the prognosis is guarded, largely because of the likelihood of recurrence. Some animals do recover, but go on to develop signs of a cold back, which is defined as temporary stiffness and a dipped back, without affecting their competitive performance.
Other Soft Tissue Lesions
These include, for example, skin lesions (i.e., wounds or scars) that might cause secondary signs of back pain. Pressure or chaffing from an ill-fitting saddle, particularly in endurance competitions, also can be important.
Fractures of the Thoracolumbar Spine
This condition is diagnosed readily from the history and clinical signs and confirmed by radiography. It is seen most often in young animals (18 months to three years) and there invariably is a history of some traumatic incident, such as rearing up and falling over backward
Clinically, there are local pain, heat, and swelling with stiffness of the back and affected forelimb action. Fracture repair often is slow, but clinical recovery usually is completed within four to six months. A depression on the withers usually remains, with some chronic thickening, but with no permanent effect on performance.
Over-Riding Dorsal Spinous Processes (kissing spines)
It has been known for many years that this condition can cause back problems. However, it is sometimes seen in horses with no signs of poor performance. This makes diagnosis particularly difficult and careful clinical evaluation, as well as radiography, is essential
Horses with the condition usually have a long-standing history of impaired performance, many having already received a number of empirical forms of therapy (i.e., chiropractic manipulation or osteopathy). The condition occurs most often in young Thoroughbreds or crossbreds with short backs which are used principally for jumping and eventing. Onset of signs is often insidious, although a history of trauma from a fall sometimes is reported. There is increasing stiffness of the back, reduced jumping ability, and a disinclination to work. Change of temperament or resentment to grooming or shoeing the hind feet also might be noted. In severe cases, there can be a reluctance to lie down and to roll. Pain usually is mild, and in long-standing cases, it might not be clearly evident on palpation. The horse usually resents "dipping" or hollowing of the back. A degree of muscle wastage appears in severe cases.
Local anesthesia of the interspinous spaces results in marked improvement of performance and elimination of the back pain in some horses, whereas this technique does not appear as effective in horses with ligament or muscle injuries.
The most common site of the condition is the mid-back, where the maximum weight of the rider is exerted and the interspinous spaces are narrowest. This might explain why it is more common in Thoroughbreds, which tend to have narrow interspinous spaces. The underlying cause of the condition appears to involve the conformation of the vertebral column, and the clinical signs are related to the type of work performed. Animals at rest or very light work will not show overt back pain, whereas those used for jumping, for example, will be prone to back pain if the impinging spines are jarred. Most cases should, therefore, respond to periods of rest, although recurrence of the clinical signs is common.
Fractures of the Lumbar Spine
Such fractures are relatively common in young foals and result in sudden onset of tail-end paralysis. Diagnosis can be confirmed radiographically and the prognosis is grave. This type of injury often results from the horse falling on its tail region. Difficulties in urinating and defecating are common and, in these cases, the prognosis is poor. Fracture of the coccygeal vertebrae might result in kinking of the tail or flaccidity without perineal paralysis.
Hunters' Bumps
The so-called hunters' or jumpers' bumps are bony prominences, often seen on the top of the quarters.
These prominences occur as the result of muscle wastage. There might be a pathological cause for the wastage such as ligamentous strain. However, in many large-framed horses, it might occur as a result of age or after periods of inactivity.
Acute Sacroiliac Damage
Severe injury to the sacroiliac ligament, caused by slipping or twisting, results in moderate to severe hind limb lameness. Pain often is marked and apparently is caused by inflammation resulting from instability of the joint and reflex muscular spasm. This continues until the damaged ligament has healed. The hindquarters might be asymmetric and the diagnosis can be confirmed by nuclear imaging.
Chronic Sacroiliac Damage
Horses with chronic sacroiliac damage usually exhibit signs of poor performance, intermittent lameness, or a back problem (Table 3).
Initially, they might have had a history of severe pain in the pelvic or sacroiliac region associated with marked hindlimb lameness. A fall or similar incident often is reported, although signs are not always recognized for some time afterward. The animal's performance is affected, particularly at slower paces or during dressage. An intermittent, sometimes shifting hindlimb lameness is noted along with stiffness and rigidity of the spine. The condition is more common in large-framed horses with long backs and weak-looking quarters.
Most cases show some degree of asymmetry of the hindquarters due to a malalignment or apparent tilting of the pelvis. The clinical finding of pelvic asymmetry does not necessarily indicate sacroiliac damage, but has been correlated to lowered performance in Standardbred trotters in Sweden.
At exercise, there often is some stiffness in the back with dragging of one or both toes and a tendency to "plait" (the foot of the affected limb swings inward in the forward phase of the stride and is placed almost in front of the opposite hindfoot). Mild hind limb lameness often is seen and is most noticeable at the slow trot. Some cases look uneven from behind, and a slight dropping of the affected quarter sometimes is noted. When ridden, horses show stiffness of the hind limb action with an apparent lack of impulsion from the quarters. In many longstanding cases, jumping is not seriously impaired and continued exercise does not seem to exacerbate the clinical signs. Many of these animals respond temporarily to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as phenylbutazone.
It is interesting that the clinical picture, once recognized, is not usually progressive. Treatment is difficult and usually is aimed at building up the muscles of the quarters and back. Improvement in muscular tone and fitness tends to counteract the clinical signs of poor hind limb impulsion. In mild cases, this type of management has been successful. However, the horse must be kept fit. If allowed to rest, it will lose muscle tone and return to the original state.
Therapy and Management of Spinal Problems
The list of treatments for thoracolumbar disorders in horses is extensive. Many of these methods are used in combination, either at the same time or concurrently (i.e, rest, medical treatment, and some form of physiotherapy). Few lines of therapy have been assessed objectively for efficacy, and there is no doubt that some of the methods listed are used as placebos. This lack of precise data results in some therapies becoming "fashionable." A few years ago, the trend was to request surgery for back problems; then swimming became very popular, followed by manipulative therapy. It seems that the trend for the future might be natural medicine (i.e., acupuncture and laser techniques). Many of these types of treatment are performed by non-veterinarians; some are qualified physiotherapists, but a considerable proportion are not.
Historically, many of the early veterinary practitioners and farriers advocated rest as the most effective remedy for back troubles. For most types of thoracolumbar complaint, this still often proves to be all that is needed. In some animals, the addition of some form of physiotherapy might be beneficial, and in others the periodic use of anti-inflammatory medication is helpful. However, assessment of any therapy for back injuries is difficult because of the tendency for spontaneous recovery to occur.
For horses with muscle and/or ligament damage, rest in a loose box is recommended until the signs of acute pain have subsided. After this, the animal can be turned out in a small paddock or yard for a period ranging from one to 12 months, depending on the site and extent of the injury. Often no other specific therapy is necessary, but return to exercise always should be gradual. The application of heat, by way of an infra-red lamp, sometimes is reported to be of benefit in the acute stages of muscle strain or for other soft tissue injury to the back.
The general management of a horse with a potential back problem is very important. Many horses which are prone to back problems have a temperamental or psychological component to the clinical picture, particularly those with a "cold back." The use of a sheepskin numnah frequently is found to be helpful; another practice is to give the animal a short period of lunging after it has been tacked up and before it is mounted.
A change of stable routine and the type of work often seems to be beneficial. This can involve re-schooling or changing the type of exercise for a period in an attempt to renew enthusiasm for work (i.e., taking the animal hunting or using swimming). Changing the saddle often alleviates low-grade back troubles. Many riders use a far heavier saddle than is necessary.
Once it has been decided to put the horse back into work, a graduated program of exercise always is advisable. This should start with ground work and lunging to build up the back muscles and improve the animal's suppleness. In this regard, the use of a chambon to lower the head and neck during lunging can be helpful. Also, massage or gentle "strapping" of the back muscles after exercise is a useful procedure in horses convalescing from a thoracolumbar disorder.
Medical Treatment
In horses with acute or severe back pain (i.e., fractured spinous processes of the withers), pain-killing medication is indicated for the first few days. This might be followed by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as phenylbutazone, flunixin meglamine, naproxin, or meclofenamic acid, which can be given while the horse is really uncomfortable. After that, the animal should be rested and further NSAIDs given only in association with a return to work as prescribed by your veterinarian. In acute cases, a three- to four-day course of muscle relaxants, such as dantrolene and methocarbamol, might be useful to relieve muscle spasm. Long-term therapy with any of these drugs is contra-indicated.
Local injection of long-acting steroids into the interspinous spaces in cases of kissing spines has been used quite successfully.
The application of heat by various means has been used for acute back injuries for many years, although whether it has any real advantage over rest and medication is equivocal. Good results have been reported for various methods of physiotherapy, such as faradic stimulation of muscles, shortwave diathermy, and ultrasonic therapy. Deep massage by cyclotherapy also has been used, particularly in the United States, and more recently, swimming has been advocated. Poorly fitting saddles, while not often being the primary cause of back problems, can exacerbate an underlying condition and will prevent effective recovery, particularly from soft tissue injuries. Replacement of the saddle is important and advice should be sought from an expert saddler. No controlled trials on the benefits of physiotherapy, compared with rest or no treatment at all, have been made. Faradism, cyclotherapy, and swimming appear to be valuable aids to recovery from basic problems once the acute signs and pain have subsided. Recently other techniques such as pulsed high-frequency electromagnetic energy and magnetic field therapy have been used for soft tissue injuries, although it is too early to judge their efficacy.
A gradually increasing program of exercise following a back injury always is advised. Initially, lunging in a sand ring will start to build up the back and quarter muscles and improve spinal flexibility. This can be coupled with a course of physiotherapy.
Manipulative Therapy
This includes chiropractic and osteopathy, which now are performed routinely throughout the world. It is reported to give an immediate but transient relief to horses with back injuries. However, no critical or controlled trials of its efficacy, nor the exact mode of its action, has yet been published. The technique is performed either in the standing animal or under general anesthesia. The aim is to invoke muscle relaxation by pummelling and local pressure to the back or attempting to hyperflex and extend the spine. It is possible that the sharp pressure applied to the affected area creates a reflex contraction in the back muscle of the contralateral side. This would produce transient muscle tension thereby eliminating the previous postural imbalance. Both sides would momentarily have equal muscle tone again and so be able to relax, improving the horse's performance instantly. This is only a tentative theory, and the whole matter needs further investigation before it can be recommended. Manipulation does not address the underlying pathogenesis of the thoracolumbar condition, which might be why recurrence of signs is common after manipulative treatment.
Natural Medicine
Natural or "fringe" medicine is becoming increasingly popular for horses with back problems. Acupuncture has been investigated quite extensively and good responses reported, although correct diagnosis and proper judgement of treatment application are essential for effective acupuncture therapy. More recently, the use of lasers is being introduced to produce the same sort of beneficial analgesic effect.
One other line of treatment, which appears to have no veterinary basis at all, is that referred to as radionics or the so-called "black box." This technique involves sending a hair from the mane of the horse to the operator of the black box. The hair is placed in the box, then it is claimed that an exact diagnosis of the animal's condition can be made and the horse can be treated at the same time. It is hard to envisage how this technique can have any medical or scientific foundation, although there are a number of proponents who claim beneficial results.
Surgical resection of part of the summits of the dorsal spinous processes in the thoracolumbar spine was first described for crowding and overriding to relieve pain and thereby eliminate the associated lameness. The technique originally was performed on nine cases with apparently encouraging results. Since then, a number of modifications to this method have been described. However, with the improved understanding of the pathogenesis of the condition, conservative therapy is now being more widely used.
Back problems clearly are an occupational hazard in both racing and performance horses. The conditions that might result often are difficult to diagnose accurately, but it is worth remembering these facts:
Some horses can perform badly without suffering from a back problem.
Some horses can perform adequately despite having a back problem.
Spontaneous recovery from many types of back problem is quite common.
Finally, the simple recourse to a period of rest followed by a graduated program of exercise is all that is required in many cases. This often can be supplemented by various techniques of physiotherapy. Surgery is limited to a few selected cases where the diagnosis is confirmed by radiological examination and local anesthesia of interspinous spaces.


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Early Friday morning I get to head up north to a bustling little campground just outside of Flagstaff where a huge community is gathering. The Overland Expo is in it's 8th year and celebrates people who explore the world. I attended the Expo last year for the first time and was overwhelmed with the amazing vehicles, interesting stories from seasoned travelers and the closeness of the community. Even though most of the people attending travel alone (or as a couple) they tend to embrace other Overlanders as kindred spirits.
I won't be able to get up there until Friday morning, but I can't wait to see who is there this year. I'm looking forward to seeing friends from last year like @OverlandNomads, @AmericanSahara and @ExplorElements as well meeting some new people. I am also looking forward to seeing some of my favorite vendors like @TADgear and @OverlandGourmet.
I've been looking to get my camping/overlanding rig outfitted with better gear. So I will be looking for some specific (awesome) gear from Goal Zero Solar, Canyon Coolers and pretty much anyone showing travel trailers. And I'll be sure to take lots of pictures!
What is Overlanding?
from the Overland Expo website:
"Overlanding is a way to describe exploring by your own means, usually either by vehicle (often with four-wheel-drive capability) or adventure motorcycle. It's long been a traditional way to describe safaris in Africa or exploring in Australia. Brits head "overland" to Africa and Asia and across the Continent.
We use the term to differentiate the activity from other four-wheel-drive activities such as rock-crawling or rallying. For overlanders, the journey is as important as the destination or the activities that we do when we get to our destination (if there even is a specific destination): hiking, nature watching, kayaking, mountain biking, and so on.
For overlanders, the camping is really a highlight as well ~ we enjoy innovations like roof-top tents, 12V fridges, and high-quality awnings, ground tents, kitchen kits, and equipment such as compressors and winches and other recovery gear."
What is the Overland Expo?
"Overland Expo is designed as a unique event to introduce consumers to all the innovative equipment for camping and vehicles, and to introduce travel enthusiasts to the pleasures of exploring the world via your own means, whether it's an old van or a new Land Cruiser or Sportsmobile or BMW motorcycle.
Through social events and 85+ programs and classes and over 140 exhibitors, Overland Expo is the largest and most unique event combining adventure travel, vehicles, and motorcycles with education & commerce.
It's the place to come to get outfitted; get trained; get inspired . . . and get going."


text: Turfway Park to Host First International Catch A Riding Star Challenge Race Thursday, January 31, 2013 12:00 AM General Spiral Stakes Event Will Benefit North American Racing Academy HorsesLEXINGTON, Ky., Jan. 31, 2013 – Turfway Park will host the first ever International Catch A Riding Star challenge race for apprentice jockeys on Sat., March 23, as part of the Florence, Ky. Thoroughbred racetrack's premier afternoon of racing, Spiral Stakes day. A team of licensed apprentice jockeys who have trained at racing schools overseas will be invited to compete in the race against riders from the Americas, including several from the North American Racing Academy (NARA), based at Bluegrass Community and Technical College (BCTC) in Lexington, Ky. Awards will be given to both the winning rider and the team that earns the most points based on finishing positions. Each year, NARA maintains a string of 15 to 20 off-the-track recycled Thoroughbred racehorses who serve as "equine mentors" for students enrolled in the school's equine industry workforce programs. Unlike previous races involving NARA at Turfway, the International Catch A Riding Star challenge race will be a wagering event, and both Turfway Park and the Kentucky Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (KYHBPA) have agreed to donate their shares of the pari-mutuel commissions on the race, known as takeout, to support NARA's horses in their second careers. In 2006 NARA became the first accredited professional jockey school in the United States. Since then, NARA has expanded its role and now serves as an overall workforce provider to the racing and breeding industries. NARA provides classroom and online courses that result in either a two year associate degree or one year certificates that focus on the riding, care and training of the racehorse. NARA was the vision of Hall of Fame jockey Chris McCarron, the program's lead instructor with a focus on the Jockey Pathway. "The college is excited to be working with Turfway Park and Kentucky HBPA to showcase apprentice riders and benefit the horses that are an integral part of the program's instructional resources," said BCTC president and CEO Augusta A. Julian. "Our students will continue to be successful due to the great partnerships that have been created."Said BCTC-NARA executive director Remi Bellocq, "This will be a fun event that racing fans will enjoy while also supporting two good causes: education and equine aftercare. Chris and I greatly rely on these wonderful horses to help us teach our students how to properly groom, ride, feed, bed and care for racehorses in a training barn or breeding farm environment." "We have partnered with NARA before to showcase their graduates in exhibition races and have been impressed with the professionalism of the students and the comprehensive nature of the program," said Turfway Park general manager Chip Bach. "The Academy is an asset to Kentucky and the Commonwealth's world-renowned horse industry, and we're proud to be part of a unique event that not only brings the school to the attention of the international racing community but also supports racehorses in new careers."The International Catch A Riding Star challenge race will be part of a 12-race card that includes the Spiral Stakes (G3) and Bourbonette Oaks (G3), respectively designated points races on the road to the Kentucky Derby (G1) and Kentucky Oaks (G1), and the Team Valor Rushaway Stakes (listed). The card will be broadcast by TVG and additional coverage on selected races will be provided by Horse Racing Radio Network.###


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My Auckland dentist emailed through my dental records so a Hawke's Bay dentist could perform emergency root canal on a crowned tooth. My patient file was peppered with instances of my refusing x-rays. Evidently this occurred in July 2000, August 2001, September 2006, November 2010 and December 2011. Once it was recorded in capital letters and once they wrote "still didn't want x-rays"; the disapproval was thinly disguised. Reading between the lines, I was a difficult patient.
Each time I visited the dentist for a check-up, and usually before I'd even made it to the dentist's room, they'd casually ask me if I'd like x-rays. "No, thanks," I'd reply cheerfully as if they'd offered tea or coffee or some other kind of hospitality. Once my reply was countered with: "But we've got a brand new x-ray machine" - to which I responded: "Cool." Surely they didn't imagine I'd say: "Oh, well, in that case then, yes. A little dose of radiation does sound tempting. Count me in."
I must have given the impression of being some hippy-ish advocate of natural therapies, suspicious of modern medicine, but in fact I was just surprised that an x-ray had taken on the guise of a routine process rather than something to be harnessed as a tool for assessing problems. I happily had an x-ray in 2009 when I was experiencing some serious teeth problems. But when exactly did x-rays become gratuitous, something to be performed on a whim?
A US doctor interviewed for Yearly dental X-rays raise brain tumor risk, study finds echoed my general attitude: "For folks experiencing severe tooth pain or other dental symptoms, an X-ray's benefits may outweigh the risks, he said. If a person is not having symptoms, he doesn't think the X-rays are necessary."
Last month I took my nine-year-old for a routine check-up with her paediatric dentist and I requested that no x-rays be taken this visit. To my surprise I was asked to sign a consent form. That's right. X-rays have become so normalised that I had to consent to her not having any. I'd have thought it should be the other way around. Lucky I mentioned it up front.
The Washington Post reported on a study that found "people with meningioma [a common form of brain tumour] were more than twice as likely as people without the brain tumor to have had a bitewing X-ray sometime in their life. For a bitewing X-ray, the patient holds the film in place by biting down on a tab." The article went on to say that the study was based on x-rays performed in the 1960s which "delivered higher doses of radiation than today's do" and also noted that the American Dental Association recommends dental x-rays are limited to about every one to two years for children and two to three years for adults.
The significance of the study was downplayed locally too. "[E]xperts note that advances in x-ray equipment, regulations and the low actual incidence of the disease mean that people should not be worried about the health risks," says the Wellington-based Science Media Centre.
Even so, I'll be proceeding with my usual caution by authorising dental x-rays only if indicated. And if my dentist plans to offer me an optional extra unconnected with clear and present dental concerns it had better be in the form of a decaf skinny mocha.
What are your thoughts on dental x-rays? Does your dentist offer them even if there's no pressing issue? Do you have them willy-nilly or do you try to adopt a more measured approach?


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Media Advice
Media Advice
Cycling-related stories are all over the media.
Unfortunately, the type of coverage the subject receives is often unhelpful. Regional and local newspapers are peppered with letters heaping criticism, and worse, on cyclists. And when regional television and radio stations decide to run a story, it is often based on a perceived conflict with other road users. However, the fact it is a 'hot topic' for the media can be turned to the cyclist's advantage.
In order to achieve this, it is vital that those of us who work to promote cycling understand how the media works. Whether you work as a cycling instructor, an independent bike shop owner or a campaigner, a basic understanding of how the media works will help you to be more effective at spreading your message.
Cycling UK has a selection of resources, past press releases and news stories.
This briefing is not intended to cover all aspects of media relations. Instead it sets out the basics; a common sense approach to dealing with journalists. There are links to more detailed guides to dealing with the media at the bottom of the page.
By employing a few basic skills, we can help to ensure that cycling gets the type of media coverage it deserves.
- What is meant by media relations?
- Where to place your message
- Distilling your message
- Finding a hook
- Sending a press release
- Pitch your story
- Photographs
- Broadcast media
- Making a reputation for yourself
What is meant by media relations?
The effect that the media has on public opinion is dramatic and quite unique.
The very first public relations practitioners recognised the effect of the media over 100 years ago, and since then PR has become a vital part of every good marketing strategy. Although businesses use public relations in a number of different ways, many value the 'free' publicity it can bring. Much PR work involves establishing good relationships with representatives of the media in order to place messages within editorial coverage. This type of coverage carries an implicit endorsement of information and as a result is more likely to be believed than advertising – people rarely buy publications for the advertising.
To put it bluntly, if you establish relations with journalists you are a good way towards getting your message across. But remember, the only way to guarantee editorial control is to pay for an advertisement. Once you have provided journalists with your information it is in their hands. They may miss out key aspects of your message or may even turn it around completely. The pointers contained within this briefing will help you minimise the risk of this happening.
Where to place your message
Effective press relations start with effective targeting
- Think carefully about your audience and which media it uses. If in any doubt, ask. Companies spend fortunes on focus groups, but why not quiz members of your local community who form part of your target audience?
- Local newspapers and broadcast media are often the most approachable – especially if you are dealing with those in your own area.
- Don't discount local radio and television. They can seem intimidating, but remember they have airtime to fill (see section on broadcast media).
- Despite the rise of broadcasting and online media, the press remains an important means of communication and there are currently over 2,000 newspaper titles in the UK. Newspapers and periodicals survive because they are able to cover more stories in greater detail than their broadcast counterparts.
- Regional media are generally only interested if there is a regional angle.
- Use trade publications to announce developments and air matters of specialised interest. Don't stop with a press release. With trade publications it's worth pushing for a longer feature. Offer to write part of it if necessary.
Distilling your message
The fact you feel passionately about your product or message does not mean the media, or indeed their readers, listeners or viewers, will be interested themselves.
Objectivity is critical when assessing news value. Try to imagine what will appeal to the target audience. And always remember that whatever a journalist's personal sympathies for your story, he is working for a business that needs to sell newspapers or retain viewers/listeners. Start to look behind the stories that appear in the media. What aspect of a story ensured it made it onto the page?
What aspect of your story will appeal to the media's audience?
Finding a hook
A hook is something that will draw people into the story and want to find out more, even if it is not something they are usually interested in.
PR consultancies spend fortunes on engineering a 'hook' to make a story more attractive to the media. For example, the results of market research can be used as means of securing column inches. If you decide to use this technique yourself, remember to formulate your questions with a view to the headlines you are trying to generate. Local media may be happy with a fairly informal poll of a few hundred people.
Even if you don't have the time or budget to pay for market research or a celebrity endorsement, there are ways to emphasise aspects of a story to make it more appealing.
- Human interest: A bike ride to promote health in the community may be of little interest, but a man who has recovered from heart surgery and takes part is more newsworthy.
- Statistics: Whatever you think of statistics, they often make a good headline. Cycling UK's Campaigns & Policy department will refer you to statistics that may help to illustrate your own message.
- Get your local media involved. If you are publicising an event or service that is of benefit to the community suggest that the paper or radio station becomes involved. Personally invite a journalist to come and sample the service or product or simply ask them to offer headline support to your project.
Sending a press release
It is estimated that only one in ten press releases is ever published. To maximise the chances of your story being covered, follow these simple guidelines:
- Try to make your point on one side of A4 paper.
- Keep it simple. You can alter the style of your writing to suit the publication and its audience, but remember the purpose of the release is to give the journalists the facts.
- Use a short eye-catching headline.
- The first paragraph should be short (no more than two sentences) and must summarise your entire message – sub-editors cut from the bottom!
- Avoid jargon at all costs.
- Date the release at the top so that the news editor can see that the story is current.
- Attribute quotes to a named (and if possible, senior) individual, and make sure this person is available for comment. Journalists often want to speak to whoever is named on the release.
- Include your contact details at the bottom of the release.
- Always proofread the release before you send it – preferably ask someone else to read it.
Cycling UK has a number of past press releases that can be used as an example
Pitch your story
When dealing with a national media title, you may have no more than thirty seconds on the phone to pitch the idea. A journalist who isn't interested in the story will waste no time in letting you know, but will rarely resent being called in this way. And whilst local newspapers are a less pressurised environment, some basic rules apply.
- After introducing yourself, ask if it's a good time to discuss your story – deadlines can make some days, or particular times of the day, extremely busy for journalists.
- Don't ramble! Write down your ideas before you call. Try to write a short press release before you call. It's useful to refer to and the journalist may ask to see one.
- If you aren't sure which aspect of a story may be of particular interest to a journalist, be honest and ask their opinion. But don't lose sight of the message you want to put across.
- If you are involved in a contentious issue, remember that nothing is ever 'off the record' unless you are dealing with a trusted contact.
- Journalistic deadlines are not flexible. If you agree to call or send information to a journalist by a particular time, honour the agreement.
Photographs not only tell their own story, but are an invaluable aid to getting your story printed in a newspaper. If you are organising an event, plan the photographs well in advance. If you are taking photos yourself, try to think of an unusual approach but keep the composition simple. Will the local mayor attend your event? If he is prepared to swap his official car for a tandem all the better. If you want inspiration on how to make a boring subject matter more engaging, look at the business pages of the national newspapers. Highly imaginative photos of senior executives often accompany the business news stories. Try to make the photo tell your story, but remember not to be too ambitious. If you send a newspaper your own photos remember to provide a full caption including your contact details.
If you are inviting press photographers to attend, issue them with a photo call. This should include the date, time and location together with a brief explanation of what can be photographed. Always follow a photo call notice up with phone calls – including one the day before the event.
Useful tip: If you have a budget, you can often employ a local newspaper's staff photographer to cover your event. Using a staff photographer can be a good way of exploiting their experience and contacts to ensure your photo appears in the paper. With a clear brief, a good photographer will be happy to help you compose your photos.
Broadcast media
If you would like to have your event covered by radio or television news, you should contact the newsroom and the forward planning desk. Keep calling the television station to remind them (right up until the day itself) as their schedules change on a day-to-day basis. Remember that radio stations often have feature programmes that may cover your story in more detail.
Making a reputation for yourself
If you conduct your media relations in a professional way you will see dividends. The more contact you have with your local journalists over a particular issue, the more likely they are to refer to you as a source of information.


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MIAMI (AP) LeBron James had 23 points and 10 rebounds, and the Miami Heat never trailed on the way to beating the Washington Wizards 102-72 on Saturday night.
Udonis Haslem and Dwyane Wade each scored 13 for Miami, which outscored Washington 29-10 in the third quarter to build a 33-point lead. James had 16 points alone in the third, ensuring he would finish with at least 20 points for the 26th straight regular-season game and 42nd consecutive game overall dating to last season.
Chris Bosh added 12 points for the Heat, who turned 21 turnovers into 30 points.
Bradley Beal scored 19 points and Cartier Martin added 18 for the Wizards, who beat the Heat 105-101 in Washington on Dec. 4.


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Rochester Quadrajet carburetors
Rochester Dualjet carburetors
Orifice Diameter: .145"
Over-all length: .880"
Male Thread: 3/8"-24
Quantity: 1
.145" needle and seats may require float level tuning.
Compatible with new alcohol enhanced fuels.
This needle and seat assembly is a Non-Windowed assembly.
The non-windowed N&S can help reduce the amount of fuel leaving the fuel bowl when the engine is shut off. Some vehicles draw fuel back out the carburetor and back to the gas tank. This non-windowed assembly will block the fuel from back flowing out of the fuel bowl and leave approximately .400" additional fuel in the fuel bowl.


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Alvarez Starting To Provide Power For Pirates
Pirates Counting On Third Baseman To Find Consistency At Plate
Pedro Alvarez didn't talk like a player who'd just lifted his batting average nearly 50 points in the span of six hours.
Maybe it's because the soft-spoken Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman has been down this road before. Maybe it's because when you start the day hitting .108 -- as Alvarez was when he woke up Wednesday morning -- it doesn't take much for that number to take an upward tick.
Or maybe Alvarez is simply sticking to the gameplan, one that measures progress in steady play, not a handful of bold strokes.
"I'm just trying to keep it as simple as possible," Alvarez said.
Simple looked pretty easy during perhaps the best afternoon of the 25-year-old's still young career. Alvarez homered in both games of a doubleheader with the Colorado Rockies and added a double -- off a lefthander no less -- as the Pirates earned a split.
It was the kind of performance the Pirates imagined after they made the former Vanderbilt star the second overall pick in the 2008 draft.
Alvarez's smash to center in the bottom of the seventh of the first game briefly tied it. His screamer off the foul pole in right in the second game capped a five-run fifth inning for baseball's most beleaguered offense.
"I'm just trying not to overthink, overanalyze situations and try to keep it as instinctual as possible," Alvarez said. "I think when you go out there and you just try to trust your abilities and try to just play the game, everything kind of takes care of itself."
If the Pirates are to remain competitive in the National League Central, they need Alvarez to have more days like Wednesday. Pittsburgh is off to an 8-10 start heading into this weekend's three-game set with Atlanta, a record that could be appreciably better if the Pirates could find ways to cross the plate.
They are last in the majors in runs (41) and 28th in batting average (.221). Only the spectacular performance by the pitching staff - second it baseball with a 2.58 ERA - has kept Pittsburgh competitive.
Even so-so hitting would make the Pirates interesting, and Alvarez is the key component of a lineup mostly suited to playing small ball.
He showed flashes of his prodigious power during his rookie season in 2010, smacking 16 homers in 95 games while hitting .256 on a team that finished with baseball's worst record.
The Pirates took a major step forward in 2011 under new manager Clint Hurdle. Alvarez did not. Hampered by injuries and inconsistency he hit a paltry .191 with just four homers in 74 games and the fan base started to get restless.
The evidence is in Hurdle's mail box. There are letters wondering if Pittsburgh swung and missed on the soft-spoken kid born in the Dominican Republic and raised in New York City.
"You want to read my mail, there's not a whole lot of us (who believe)," Hurdle said. "The most important part is the ones that are making the decisions, we've got patience."
Even if it was tested a bit by Alvarez last fall when he declined an invitation to play in the Arizona Fall League so he could work out on his own.
Still, general manager Neal Huntington told anyone who would listen that Alvarez was an important part of a rebuilding project now at the end of its second decade.
The Pirates brought Alvarez along slowly this spring, often platooning him with Josh Harrison or Yamaico Navarro to protect the left-handed Alvarez from left-handed pitchers, a weak spot throughout his development.
Hurdle points out, however, "we're not dodging them all" and there's proof Alvarez is making progress even when the ball is caught. He hit a towering flyball to the warning track center off St. Louis lefty reliever Marc Rzepczynski over the weekend, a shot that may have gone out if the temperature had been 15 degrees warmer.
Alvarez made such good contact Hurdle made a point of it without being asked, and though both of Alvarez's homers on Wednesday were against righthanders, he doubled in the eighth inning of the second game, sticking with a fastball away from Rex Brothers and drilling it to left.
It was a disciplined at-bat. Rather than overswinging, a habit the strikeout-prone Alvarez is still trying to break, he stayed behind the ball and didn't try to pull it down the line.
"That's what we want to see," Hurdle said. "He's going to be a fulltime player. We're just trying to work him through and pick spots."
While the Pirates remain patient with Alvarez, he is trying to do the same. It's not easy. There's an urgency in his voice when he talks about his rough start. He's still hitting just .156, though six of his seven hits have produced runs. The only way for his average to go up is to get on the field.
"Everything with this game is about repetition," he said. "The more looks I get, a little more comfortable I'll be able to get."
Hurdle is eagerly awaiting the day he can pencil Alvarez in the lineup without examining the matchup. That day may be getting closer.
"We are slaves to success sometimes mentally," Hurdle said. "Nothing breeds confidence in sport like success."


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Back to > LBLA
LBLA Paperback Santa Biblia
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Features: Presentation Page, Evangelism Notes, Verse Format, Black Letter, Two Column Text
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Welcome to a new daily feature here at Racer X Online, the Monster Energy 30-Day Countdown to the Anaheim season opener, which takes place on January 5, 2013. To mark each day as we count them down, we will present our 30 Best Supercross Racers of All-Time, as voted on by the Racer X editorial staff and our contributors. Using the Racer X Vault of Monster Energy Supercross results, as well as our own experience in watching races over the years, we will present one SX hero each day as we look forward to Anaheim. We will begin with #30....
In order to rank the 30 best all-time SX racers of all time, we had to go back to the very first night of supercross as we know it, the 1972 Superbowl of Motocross, and the very first winner, Marty Tripes. Just 16 years, 10 days old on the night of the race, the Yamaha-mounted Tripes beat some of the world's best motocross riders, including former world champion Torsten Hallman and future World Champion Hakan Andersson. Over the course of that first night under the lights, the superbly-talented Tripes, who hailed from Santee, California, became the first star of stadium motocross. (The term "Supercross" would not be used for another couple of years, nor would it be a stand-alone series until 1974.) In taking the evening's overall win, he set a record that still stands to this day: He is the youngest winner in the AMA history.
Tripes en route to his second career win at the Los Angeles Coliseum.
Racer X Archives photo
One year later the Superbowl of Motocross would return again to the Los Angeles Coliseum and Tripes would prevail again, only this time aboard a factory Honda.
In the years that followed Tripes did not have the same success he had early on, as he seemed to be constantly switching bikes and teams, including unfortunate stints with Husqvarna, Can-Am, Bultaco and even Harley-Davidson. He also had a difficult time keeping trim and healthy, struggling with his weight and fitness.
But in 1978, he got back together with Team Honda and made his first real run at the Supercross title, winning major rounds at Atlanta's old Fulton County Stadium and Daytona International Speedway. In the end he would finish second to the most dominant Supercross racer of the seventies, Bob "Hurricane" Hannah.
Tripes' professional career came to an end in 1980, just as Supercross was really beginning to flourish. But even now he's still involved in the sport, organized the Marty Tripes 100cc Works Revenge Series, as well as CMC Marty Tripes Vintage races on the West Coast. You can find more info here. And to see all of Tripes' race results, check him out here in The Racer X Vault.
Check back here tomorrow for the Monster Energy 30-Day Countdown to Anaheim, when we unveil the 29th Best Supercross Racer of All Time.


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"Strengthening protection of women and girls with disabilities from violence continues to be a priority", said Mona Rishmawi, the Chief of the Rule of Law, Equality and Non Discrimination Branch in the UN Human Rights Office in Geneva during a side event hosted during the 20th session of the Human Rights Council. Surveys and studies have shown that women and girls with disabilities experience a high rate of violence by a variety of actors within a range of situations and that this violence remains largely hidden.
In its resolution 17/11, the Human Rights Council requested the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to prepare a "Thematic analytical study on the issue of violence against women and girls and disability".
In its findings, the study noted that both men and women with disabilities are exposed to greater risk of violence.
In reference to the study, the Branch Chief stated that societal barriers limit access to justice for persons with disabilities on an equal basis with other members of society. Sentiments that have also been credited to Special Rapporteur on torture and other forms of cruel, inhuman, degrading treatment or punishment.
However women and girls face an even greater risk of violence due to complex intersectional forms of discrimination as well as gender based assumptions and expectations. It also found that women with disabilities are also more exposed to forms of violence which are not experienced by women without disabilities. Acts of violence against women and girls with disabilities also include other forms of physical and psychological violence and neglect including the withholding of medication and assistive devices, refusal of caregivers to assist in daily functioning, psychological manipulation and harming or threatening to ham. In addition, they are also particularly vulnerable to forced sterilization and other medical interventions carried out without their consent.
She narrated recommendations in the study calling for a national review of legislation on violence against women to take into account specific forms of violence experienced by women and girls with disabilities and to bring domestic laws in line with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and other relevant human rights treaties.
The thematic analytical study requested the Human Rights Council to review the international legal framework for the protection of women and girls with disabilities from violence and assesses steps taken by states and other relevant stakeholders to meet their legal obligations from the perspective of legislation; prevention and protection programmes; prosecution and punishment; and recovery and rehabilitation.
The study also recommends initiating awareness raising programmes designed to change the societal perceptions of persons with disabilities. It further recommends to States to ensure that services and programmes are accessible.
To strengthen access to justice, the study recommends that States provide adequate training for law enforcement officials, prosecutors and judges on the forms and types of violence experienced by persons with disabilities. In addition, legal counsel and legal aid services are to be made available and accessible to women and girls with disabilities.
In conclusion, the thematic analytical study found that violence experienced by women and girls with disabilities remains largely invisible; that current legislative, administrative and policy efforts do not link gender and disability in a meaningful way; that there is a lack of systematized and disaggregated data on violence against women and girls with disabilities and where it exists, the data is poorly recorded, inconsistent and incomplete; and finally that States programmes on violence against women do not adequately address the specific vulnerability of women and girls with disabilities. To remedy this, the study proposes a dual-track approach - programmes to prevent and address violence against women and specific programmes and strategies targeting girls and women with disabilities.
Source: Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights via Human Rights Education Associates
The Brussels based United Nations Regional Information Centre for Western Europe - UNRIC provides information on UN activities to the countries of the region. It also provides liaison with institutions of the European Union in the field of information. Its outreach activities extend to all segments of society and joint campaigns, projects and events are organized with partners including the EU, governments, the media, NGOs, schools and local authorities.
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Tel.: +32 2 788 8484 / Fax: 32 2 788 8485


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Marriage Defense
As Connecticut sees its first legal same-sex "marriages," Catholic bishops and groups like Peter Wolfgang's (shown) are taking bolder steps to defend the institution.
HARTFORD, Conn. — Connecticut may be seeing its first legal same-sex "marriages" this week, and Catholic bishops and other groups are taking bolder steps to defend the institution.
The "Constitution State" became the third state to impose same-sex "marriage" by judicial fiat on Oct. 10.
The state's Supreme Court ruling in Kerrigan v. Commissioner of Public Health toppled as "discriminatory" a law that gave civil unions every benefit of marriage except the name. This development should be an eleventh-hour wake-up call that the stakes involved in the Nov. 4 elections are huge, according to pro-family activists.
As the Register's daily news blog (NCRegister.com) was the first to report, the 4-3 court decision galvanized the state's bishops to back a referendum with the potential of changing the Connecticut Constitution to protect marriage.
And on Oct. 15, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops announced it is developing a national plan of action to defend marriage. The move came in response to the "societal implications of legislative and judicial efforts to redefine marriage," according to a bishops' conference press release.
Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, Ky., chairman of the new ad-hoc committee, said Oct. 16 the conference began discussing the plan in June and held its first committee meeting in September. The move wasn't directly in response to judicial activism in any particular state, he said, but because marriage is being challenged and misunderstood nationwide. (See related story on page 3.)
California voters might reverse their court-imposed redefinition of marriage by approving a ballot initiative on Election Day. Marriage amendments will also be voted on in Arizona and Florida.
With funding from the Knights of Columbus, the U.S. bishops plan to develop a brief Internet video, utilize social networking websites, and redistribute their 2003 statement on marriage, "Between Man and Woman."
Archbishop Kurtz could not say how much of the plan will be in gear before the presidential election, which legal experts predict will have a dramatic impact on the direction of federal courts nationwide.
According to the candidates' statements, Republican John McCain thinks "courts should not be in the business of legislating from the bench."
Democrat Barack Obama suggested in remarks to a Planned Parenthood gathering what kind of judges he would appoint. He said, "We need somebody who's got the heart, the empathy, to recognize what it's like to be a young teenage mom, the empathy to understand what it's like to be poor, or African-American, or gay, or disabled, or old. And that's the criteria by which I'm going to be selecting my judges."
Obama wants to repeal the federal Defense of Marriage Act. It protects the sovereignty of state marriage statutes and recognizes marriage as only between one man and one woman in all matters related to federal law.
When a federal constitutional amendment defining marriage as one man and one woman came to the Senate, both Obama and McCain voted to kill it without even allowing it to be debated. However, McCain voted for the Defense of Marriage Act.
Federalizing State Cases?
Matt Daniels, president of the Alliance for Marriage, predicted that some time after the election, same-sex advocacy groups will "federalize the issue using Massachusetts, Connecticut and possibly California as a launching pad."
The Connecticut case was the outcome of a lawsuit originally filed in 2004 by the Boston-based Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD) on behalf of same-sex couples who were denied Connecticut marriage licenses. It's nearly identical to GLAD's 2003 Goodridge v. Department of Public Health, which led to same-sex "marriage" being imposed by the Massachusetts Supreme Court.
One of GLAD's current projects is to redefine marriage in every New England state, according to its website.
Daniels believes the only long-term defense is passing a federal constitutional amendment, a move the bishops' conference has supported in two past attempts.
Meanwhile, all 213 parishes in the Archdiocese of Hartford will be asked to promptly distribute the Connecticut Catholic Conference statement condemning the latest court ruling, Michael Culhane, the conference's executive director, said Oct. 15.
The Connecticut Catholic Conference statement urges Catholics to vote Yes on the question calling for a constitutional convention and right of referendum. Bishops said the court decision "raises a very real concern about the infringement on religious liberty and freedom of speech with the judicial imposition of same-sex 'marriage.'
"The real battle in this court case was not about rights, since civil unions provide a vast number of legal rights to same-sex couples, but about conferring and enforcing social acceptance of a particular lifestyle, a lifestyle many people of faith and advocates of the natural law refuse to accept," they said.
The Connecticut homosexual advocacy group Love Makes a Family hopes voters defeat the constitutional convention referendum. "This is the biggest threat to our newly won right to marry," said Anne Stanback, the group's executive director.
Catholics Don't Realize
Culhane said the secular media is focusing on jubilant homosexual activists and giving short shrift to the position of the bishops and the Family Institute of Connecticut, which is backing the referendum.
Daniels, who is not Catholic and whose Alliance for Marriage is nonsectarian, said that getting information out is key.
"Our biggest problem is even most devout, committed Catholics don't realize what's coming because the secular media has blocked it out," he said. Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal will not appeal the Kerrigan case on the federal level because the decision was "solely an interpretation of state constitutional law," he said. His spokeswoman, Tara Stapleton, declined further elaboration.
Peter Wolfgang, executive director of the Family Institute of Connecticut, said, "The Kerrigan decision has no more actual basis in the constitution than Roe v. Wade does," referring to how judges liberally inferred that the right of privacy allowed for legalizing abortion. He claimed Blumenthal used a "losing strategy" to begin with, by not arguing why Connecticut statute reserved the term marriage to heterosexual unions forming the basis of families.
In his dissent in the Kerrigan case, Justice Peter Zarella made a similar point. He said the majority opinion failed "even to identify, much less discuss, the actual purpose of the marriage laws." He concluded, "The ancient definition of marriage as the union of one man and one woman has its basis in biology, not bigotry."
Gail Besse is based in Boston.
- Keywords:
- October 26-November 1, 2008


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This warm and comforting dish is perfect to come home to on a cold night. While this dish looks quite traditional at first glace, it's got just the right amount of smoky heat from the chili and paprika. Butternut squash is a nutrient dense source …Continue Reading Butternut Stew with Pork and Spinach
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One might reasonably think that when a film's opening salvo involves a mouthful of baby diarrhea that things can only get better, and yet…
"The Change-Up" is the latest, and worst, of this summer's tidal wave of hard-R comedies. It's your standard body-swap flick, starring Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds as two old friends who've gone down different paths—Dave Lockwood is a family man and a lawyer, Mitch Planko is a bong-hitting struggling actor and ladies man. After a few beers, some expressions of envy, a little public urination and a bolt of lightening later, the men find their wish has come true--they've traded bodies, and so, lives.
What follows is a torturous exercise in gross-out humor that repeatedly fails to be funny, is often just plain dumb and wrongheaded, and whose few fleeting moments of genuine humor are promptly washed away by idiocy.
The film was written by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, the men who penned "The Hangover," and was directed by David Dobkin, who directed "Wedding Crashers," so there was every reason to think that maybe these three could breath some new life into the old switcheroo. Instead, they repeatedly go bottom-feeding.
Babies play with knives, stick hands in blenders and French kiss outlets, the very idea of having sex with a pregnant woman is found to be repulsive, a shiftless pothead somehow learns in a matter of hours the intricacies of a multinational merger, and we get to watch Leslie Mann in the throes of a bout of explosive flatulence.
Watching Bateman play the scenes where he's inhabited by Reynolds' character is occasionally amusing, as the classic straight man gets to play against type as the cad. But Reynolds barely moves the needle when Dave inhabits him, because more than anything Dave wants to use the time to be like Mitch, which is to say masturbate and rollerblade.
And then there's poor Olivia Wilde, whose run of poor choices continues unabated with a fourth consecutive dud of a role. Here she plays Dave's colleague Sabrina, whose sole purpose in the film is to be an object of lust, which is handy because it turns out she's fairly indiscriminate about who she sleeps with.
People having been making funny movies littered with R-rated elements for decades, but with the genre in vogue thanks to the success in 2009 of "The Hangover," one gets the feeling that a few too many of these scripts are getting rushed into production. H.L. Mencken famously said that, "Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public." "The Change-Up" just may prove Mencken wrong.
Review: "The Change-Up" Finds the Bottom of the Barrel
One might reasonably think that when a film's opening salvo involves a mouthful of baby diarrhea that things can only get better, and yet…